Employees of the online mail-order company Amazon have voted to create union representation with the group in the US. According to Friday’s count, the vote by the employees of an Amazon warehouse in Staten Island, New York, resulted in a majority of 2,654 to 2,131 votes. Unionist Christian Smalls had already said beforehand, “Getting to this point is already history.”
Until now, no branch of the online giant in the US had succeeded in forming a union. In April last year, a first such attempt failed at a logistics center in Bessemer, Alabama. A large majority of employees voted against employee participation. This time, too, there were signs of a defeat for the unions. Because Amazon had inappropriately intervened in the elections in Bessemer last year, a new edition has now taken place.
Amazon is the second largest employer in the US and has so far prevented fulfillment centers from uniting. On the one hand by paying higher wages and bonuses in times of labor shortage, but also by public criticism of the work of trade unions.
criticism of working conditions
Amazon has been criticized for working conditions in the US. Unions and politicians have criticized the fact that employees of the group founded by Jeff Bezos in 1994 are subjected to heavy workloads and constant surveillance. In Germany, the Verdi union has been fighting for years to ensure that Amazon employees receive a collective agreement and are paid according to the retail and mail order rate.
Source: Krone
I’m Wayne Wickman, a professional journalist and author for Today Times Live. My specialty is covering global news and current events, offering readers a unique perspective on the world’s most pressing issues. I’m passionate about storytelling and helping people stay informed on the goings-on of our planet.
